LIBERTY- Sullivan 180 recently hosted a visit with Commissioner Richard Ball from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Commissioner Ball, joined by his Deputy Commissioner and Senior Policy Analyst, met with Sullivan 180 and several community partners to talk about current and future efforts around nutrition through farm to school initiatives. Farm to school is an extension of Sullivan 180’s focus on prevention and youth.
The purpose of the day was to share with the Commissioner and his team the efforts of the School Nutrition Action Coalition (SNAC) to build a farm to school movement. Including lunchroom assessments, surveying food service staff, a Food Service Staff conference, youth led farm to school grant initiatives, edible gardens and sourcing food from regional producers. The Commissioner also had a tour of the Catskills Food Hub to learn more about their efforts to bring healthy food to Sullivan County youth.
“We appreciate the Commissioner spending the day with our team to learn about our work,” said Sandra Gerry, Founding Chair of Sullivan 180. “We hope to have Sullivan County considered as an opportunity for a transformative investment.”
In addition to A Single Bite + the Catskills Food Hub, Sullivan 180 was joined by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Sullivan County; Fallsburg, Liberty, Livingston Manor, Monticello, Roscoe and Sullivan West School Districts.
Sullivan 180 is the recipient of a USDA Grant in the amount of $100,000 over two years with the intention to build capacity around Farm to School. As part of this grant, formed the School Nutrition Action Coalition that meets monthly.
